Mountain goats are rare in Oregon, though if you hike in high places in Washington there is a good chance you will see them and even be among them.

It's usually a benign experience, because goats often flee at the sight of a human. But not always. Not too long ago there was a well-0chronicled case in Olympic National Park where a goat fatally injured a hiker on Mount Angeles, which is accessible from Hurricane Ridge Road and is the busiest highway at elevation in the busiest national park in the Pacific Northwest.

Mountain goats can be legally hunted, though not in Olympic National Park. When I've seen them in Oregon, in the Wallowa Mountains and Elkhorn Range, they shy away, possibly because there are hunting seasons on them there.

I've also seen goats in Washington in Olympic, Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks, on Mount Adams, in the Goat Rocks Wilderness, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and the Pasayten Wilderness. On occasion, they have come quite close, within 10 feet.

The animals have appeared to be more curious than aggressive, though they are wild animals and can be unpredictable.

To help educate hikers how to react in mountain goat country, the U.S. Forest Service has teamed with federal partners to produce this educational video posted on YouTube and here about hiking safely in mountain goat country.

Consider yourself lucky if you have the chance to apply what you learn in the video.